The First Book of Moses: Genesis

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- Kapitel 4 -

(Hebrews 11:4)

Truly, Adam knew his wife Eve, who conceived and gave birth to Cain, saying, “I have obtained a man through God.”

And again she gave birth to his brother Abel. But Abel was a pastor of sheep, and Cain was a farmer.

Then it happened, after many days, that Cain offered gifts to the Lord, from the fruits of the earth.

Abel likewise offered from the firstborn of his flock, and from their fat. And the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his gifts.(a)

Yet in truth, he did not look with favor on Cain and his gifts. And Cain was vehemently angry, and his countenance fell.

And the Lord said to him: “Why are you angry? And why is your face fallen?

If you behave well, will you not receive? But if you behave badly, will not sin at once be present at the door? And so its desire will be within you, and you will be dominated by it.”(b)

And Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go outside.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and he put him to death.

And the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” And he responded: “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

And he said to him: “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the land.

Now, therefore, you will be cursed upon the land, which opened its mouth and received the blood of your brother at your hand.

When you work it, it will not give you its fruit; a vagrant and a fugitive shall you be upon the land.”

And Cain said to the Lord: “My iniquity is too great to deserve kindness.

Behold, you have cast me out this day before the face of the earth, and from your face I will be hidden; and I will be a vagrant and a fugitive on the earth. Therefore, anyone who finds me will kill me.”(c)

And the Lord said to him: “By no means will it be so; rather, whoever would kill Cain, will be punished sevenfold.” And the Lord placed a seal upon Cain, so that anyone who found him would not put him to death.(d)

And so Cain, departing from the face of the Lord, lived as a fugitive on the earth, toward the eastern region of Eden.

The Descendants of Cain

Then Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. And he built a city, and he called its name by the name of his son, Enoch.(e)

(f)

Thereafter, Enoch conceived Irad, and Irad conceived Mahujael, and Mahujael conceived Mathusael, and Mathusael conceived Lamech.

Lamech took two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the other was Zillah.

And Adah conceived Jabel, who was the father of those who live in tents and are shepherds.(g)

And the name of his brother was Jubal; he was the father of those who sing to the harp and the organ.(h)

Zillah also conceived Tubalcain, who was a hammerer and artisan in every work of brass and iron. In fact, the sister of Tubalcain was Noema.

And Lamech said to his wives Adah and Zillah: “Listen to my voice, you wives of Lamech, pay attention to my speech. For I have killed a man to my own harm, and an adolescent to my own bruising.(i)

Sevenfold vengeance will be given for Cain, but for Lamech, seventy-seven times.”(j)

Seth and Enosh

Adam also knew his wife again, and she gave birth to a son, and she called his name Seth, saying, “God has given me another offspring, in place of Abel, whom Cain killed.”

But to Seth also was born a son, whom he called Enos. This one began to invoke the name of the Lord.(k)

Fußnoten

(a)4:4 Had respect:That is, showed his acceptance of his sacrifice (as coming from a heart full of devotion): and that, as we may suppose, by some visible token, such as sending fire from heaven upon his offerings.(Challoner)

(b)4:7 The word ‘dominaberis’ is future passive tense, but the Challoner revision translates it as if it were future active. The context makes it clear that Cain is in danger of being dominated by sin, not the other way around.(Conte)

(c)4:14 Every one that finds me shall kill me:His guilty conscience made him fear his own brothers and nephews; of whom, by this time, there might be a good number upon the earth; which had now endured near 130 years; as may be gathered from Gen. 5:3, compared with chap. 4.25, though in the compendious account given in the scriptures, only Cain and Abel are mentioned.(Challoner)

(d)4:15 Set a mark, etc:The more common opinion of the interpreters of holy writ supposes this mark to have been a trembling of the body; or a horror and consternation in his countenance.(Challoner)

(e)4:17 His wife:She was a daughter of Adam, and Cain’s own sister; God dispensing with such marriages in the beginning of the world, as mankind could not otherwise be propagated.(Challoner)

(f)4:17 He built a city:In process of time, when his race was multiplied, so as to be numerous enough to people it. For in the many hundred years he lived, his race might be multiplied even to millions.(Challoner)

(g)4:20 The word ‘atque’ implies that these persons both lived in tents and were shepherds.(Conte)

(h)4:21 The words ‘cithara et organo’ are dative, not accusative; so the translation is ‘sing to harp and organ,’ not ‘play the harp and organ.’(Conte)

(i)4:23 I have slain a man, etc:It is the tradition of the Hebrews, that Lamech in hunting slew Cain, mistaking him for a wild beast; and that having discovered what he had done, he beat so unmercifully the youth, by whom he was led into that mistake, that he died of the blows.(Challoner)

(j)4:24 The phrase ‘septuagies septies’ can mean ‘seventy-seven times,’ (77) or ‘seventy times seven times’ (490). There are 77 generations from Adam to Jesus Christ.(Conte)

(k)4:26 Began to call upon, etc:Not that Adam and Seth had not called upon God, before the birth of Enos; but that Enos used more solemnity in the worship and invocation of God.(Challoner)

Kain ermordet Abel

(Hebräer 11,4)

Adam aber erkannte sein Weib Heva, und sie empfing und gebar den Kain, und sprach: Ich habe durch Gott einen Menschen erhalten.

Und abermals gebar sie, seinen Bruder Abel. Abel aber war ein Schafhirt, und Kain ein Ackerbauer.

Es begab sich aber nach vielen Tagen, dass Kain von den Früchten der Erde dem Herrn Opfergaben darbrachte.

Abel aber brachte gleichfalls Opfer dar, von den Erstlingen seiner Herde und von ihrem Fette. Da sah der Herr auf Abel und sein Opfer;

aber auf Kain und sein Opfer sah er nicht; und Kain ergrimmte so heftig, dass sein Angesicht einfiel.

Da sprach der Herr zu ihm: Warum bist du ergrimmt, und warum ist dein Angesicht eingefallen?

Wirst du nicht, wenn du Gutes tust, Lohn empfangen? Tuest du aber Böses, wird nicht sogleich die Sünde vor der Tür sein? Aber ihre Begier soll unter dir sein, und du sollst über sie herrschen.

Und Kain sagte zu Abel, seinem Bruder: Lass uns hinaus gehen! Als sie nun auf dem Felde waren, erhob sich Kain gegen seinen Bruder Abel und erschlug ihn.

Da sprach der Herr zu Kain: Wo ist dein Bruder Abel? Er aber antwortete: Ich weiß es nicht! Bin ich etwa der Hüter meines Bruders?

Und er sprach zu ihm: Was hast du getan? Die Stimme des Blutes deines Bruders schreit auf zu mir von der Erde.

So sei nun verflucht auf der Erde, die ihren Mund aufgetan und deines Bruders Blut von deiner Hand empfangen hat.

Wenn du sie bebaust, soll sie dir ihre Früchte nicht geben; unstet und flüchtig sollst du auf Erden sein!

Und Kain sprach zu dem Herrn: Meine Missetat ist zu groß, als dass ich Verzeihung verdiente!

Siehe, du treibst mich heute aus dem Lande, und ich muss mich vor deinem Angesichte verbergen, und werde unstet und flüchtig sein auf Erden. Jeder also, der mich findet, wird mich töten!

Da sprach der Herr zu ihm: Das soll keineswegs geschehen, sondern wer immer Kain tötet, soll siebenfach gestraft werden. Und der Herr gab Kain ein Zeichen, dass niemand ihn töte, der ihn irgend fände.

Die Familie von Kain

Da zog Kain weg von dem Angesichte des Herrn und nahm im Lande ostwärts von Eden seinen Aufenthalt als Flüchtling.

Und Kain erkannte sein Weib, und sie empfing und gebar Henoch. Und er baute eine Stadt und nannte sie nach dem Namen seines Sohnes, Henoch.

Henoch aber zeugte Irad, Irad zeugte Maviael, Maviael zeugte Mathusael, und Mathusael zeugte Lamech.

Dieser nahm sich zwei Frauen: der Name der einen war Ada, der Name der anderen Sella.

Und Ada gebar Jabel; dieser wurde der Vater der Zeltbewohner und der Hirten.

Sein Bruder aber hieß Jubal; dieser ward der Vater derer, welche die Laute und die Flöte spielen.

Und Sella gebar den Tubalkain, der allerlei Erz und Eisenwerk hämmerte und schmiedete. Die Schwester Tubalkains aber war Noema.

Und es sprach Lamech zu seinen Weibern Ada und Sella. Höret meine Stimme, ihr Weiber Lamechs! Merket auf meine Rede: ich habe einen Mann erschlagen für meine Wunde, einen Jüngling für meine Beule.

Siebenfach wird Kain gerächt werden, Lamech aber siebenzigmal siebenmal.

Ein neuer Sohn

Und Adam erkannte abermals sein Weib, und sie gebar einen Sohn und nannte seinen Namen Seth, indem sie sprach: Es hat mir Gott eine andere Nachkommenschaft gesetzt an Stelle Abels, den Kain erschlagen hat.

Aber auch Seth ward ein Sohn geboren, den er Enos nannte. Dieser fing an, den Namen des Herrn anzurufen.